Written by Khushi Khan
Quite often we have heard that nature does not discriminate. However, the latest data on the differential impact of heat on people's lives, showcases how, on the one hand, the quantitative effect of heat on people across all strata of society is the same, in terms of temperature. But the qualitative impact of this is not the same for all.
The 192 people who died in Delhi between June 11 and June 19 are not only victims of nature’s wrath against climate change but also of governmental neglect, bureaucratic breakdowns, and sheer societal ignorance. The heat disaster running across the length and breadth of India has affected the homeless in the worst way possible.
Concrete footpaths retain and radiate heat in the scorching heat of Delhi © Sarika Chawdhary | India Spend
Scale of the problem
The 2011 census indicates that 17.7 lakh individuals are houseless. However, it fails to capture the entire homeless population, given the fact that there is a difference between being ‘houseless’ and ‘homeless’ as captured by the European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion. Furthermore, this data is decadal outdated. One percent of the metropolitan population, or approximately 37 lakhs, are homeless, according to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court. Moreover, to determine who was homeless in metropolitan areas in 2019, the Ministry of Housing and Metropolitan Affairs carried out a third-party poll. According to estimates, there are roughly 23.93 lakh homeless individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic and population growth have contributed more to the surge in homelessness.
However, the urban homeless scheme's present shelter home capacity only serves 1.2 lakh individuals, which is minuscule in comparison to the need. In addition, a capacity analysis based on gender reveals that women's shelters have a pitiful capacity in comparison to their male counterparts. Getting access is a difficult undertaking for a homeless woman.
Streets of Delhi © Ninara
Additionally in 2017, a panel of the Supreme Court concluded that the state governments had not utilized half of the funding allocated for the homeless program. The failure to use public funding remains a major obstacle to the implementation of the system.
Also, a major and concomitantly occurring with every social issue is a factor that is often overlooked, that about 90% of the workforce in India is employed in the informal sector, and the majority of them belong to the Dalit Community, Schedule Tribes, and ‘lower castes’ (National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights). These people have more exposure to heat owing to the nature of their work and the conditions of the places they go back to post long shifts.
Apart from this, the DUIB (Delhi Urban Improvement Board) in collaboration with NGOs provides ‘Rain Baseras’ to homeless people. The conditions here are precarious. The unavailability of water (95% of Delhi’s homeless have inadequate access to drinking water), cramped structuring of the shelters, usage of tin roofs without any mechanism to avoid heat-trapping and no provision for coolers are resulting in several health-related issues in people as reported by Quint. Even the practices of not hiring an adequate number of staff and not allocating the funds provided by the Union Government is a major hurdle in the implementation of the policies designed for the homeless.
Streets of Delhi © Ninara
Political Protections
The fundamental rights to life and personal liberty are covered in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. In this, the right to life includes the right to a dignified place to live, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court. It gives the state custody of the duty to provide housing. Under this, the government of India devised various schemes and sub-schemes to provide ‘housing to all’ by 2022 under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’. But the pertinent question is do these rights only exist theoretically and have no practical weightage? The death of every homeless person on the road due to Delhi’s heat is a question of how much the government is doing and how much the stakeholders know the government should be doing for them.
Access to drinking water in Delhi © Sarika Chawdhary | India Spend
Suggestions
Creation of a proper summer action plan, keeping in mind the different needs of the people belonging to different regions of Delhi.
Collaboration of the Indian Meteorological Department, Delhi Electricity Board, Medical Agencies, and NGOs to create mechanisms for catering to emergencies.
Recognising the vitality of incorporating this issue as a major human rights and health rights question.
Proper planning of Shelter Homes, with the use of techniques of indoor heat management, shading, solarization, cool/green roofing, etc.
Provision of adequate amenities, including clean drinking water, toilets and electricity in the Shelter Homes.
Setting up Committees to check up on the fund allocation and usage.
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